


Seeing Sparks (the headache kind)

by intheKnickoftime



Category: Purple Hyacinth - Ephemerys & Sophism (Webcomic)
Genre: (only slightly), F/M, Kym sells fireworks, Lauren is a security guard with slightly less of a headache, Modern AU, Will is a mall security guard with a headache, complete fluff, excuse me do you have a permit?, surprising nobody: kym has watermelon fireworks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:26:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25494595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intheKnickoftime/pseuds/intheKnickoftime
Summary: In which there are parking lot shenanigans, watermelon lunchbreaks and stressed-out security guards.
Relationships: William Hawkes & Lauren Sinclair, William Hawkes/Kym Ladell
Comments: 9
Kudos: 39





	Seeing Sparks (the headache kind)

**Author's Note:**

> This was _such_ an oddly specific/fitting writing prompt I stumbled across. I just had to.
> 
> This was supposed to be a one-shot, and then the length kept running away from me. I miiiight see about another chapter or? two? in the future between other works of mine. But for now. Here is this.
> 
> *disclaimer: I know nothing about selling fireworks, I just wanted to write kywi. don't smite me for inaccuracy hahah

The white tent gleamed in the sun, its roof rippling gently in the afternoon breeze. Even from across the parking lot, Will could see clusters of people gathered underneath the newly-erected stand.

It seemed to be mocking him.

“She’s back,” he sighed. “I suppose it was too much to hope that she’d pack up after lunch.”

“What is your issue with this stand, again?” Lauren asked, glancing at her friend.

“Not the stand,” Will said. “I have nothing against fireworks. But the stand owner-”

“-is a brilliant saleswoman, from what you’ve told me,” Lauren said, turning her attention back to her lunch.

“She’s a menace!” Will insisted. “Do you know how many of those rockets she lights off daily?”

“Probably not enough to offset the profit she makes,” Lauren observed, wisely.

Will was not in the mood to deal with her logic.

“Enough to give me  _ headaches,”  _ he protested. “Surely there’s some rule against-”

“Unfortunately not,” Lauren said. “I’m sorry you have to put up with the sight of pretty sparkly rockets going off while you’re on duty. Sounds dreadfully boring.”

Will frowned at her. She looked right back, deadpan, before relenting a little.

“Look, I’m sorry to hear that it’s bothering you- but I don’t think there’s much you can do,” she continued, sounding a bit more sympathetic. “She’s not technically on the mall premises. If she’s got a permit, you can’t touch her. Although if it’s bugging you that much, you could always ask her to tone it down? Or invest in some nice earplugs,” she finished, grinning sideways at him.

“Hmm,” Will said, glaring across the parking lot once more.

_ If she’s got a permit, huh? _

  
  


\-----

“Good afternoon, sir! Kym Ladell, fireworks vendor extraordinaire, at your service. What can I get for you? Sparklers? Rockets? Perhaps a demonstration-”

“Do you have a permit for this?” Will interrupted bluntly, gesturing around at the expense of the tent, its tables crammed with an absurd variety of fireworks.

The stand vendor- Kym- faltered, an indignant expression crossing her face. This was somewhat undermined by the comically large (and, perplexingly, watermelon-patterned) rocket she had snatched up at the mention of a demonstration.

Will’s ears began to ring just looking at the thing. 

“Excuse  _ me!”  _ Kym said sharply. “Of  _ course _ I have a permit. It would be incredibly  _ low  _ of me to falsely sell potentially-dangerous rockets to a clueless populace without the proper certification. How low you must think me, a pauper of a vendor, here beneath my  _ perfectly legal  _ tent-”

Will regretted his decision to cross the parking lot and question her. Between the noise from earlier and her sudden waterfall of words, his head was spinning.

“Please, just-” he started to protest.

“-what, do you want proof?” Kym said, raising her voice challengingly. She laid the watermelon-colored rocket gently upon the nearest table and turned back to Will. “Here! Is this good enough for you?” With a flourish, she produced a neatly laminated sheet of paper seemingly from midair and shoved it at Will, who staggered back and nearly upset a display of more of those giant watermelon rockets.

“Okay!” He said, hands raised in surrender. “Okay, okay. I believe you. I see your permit. I just wanted to- double check, is all. I’ll be going.”

He speedwalked back across the parking lot, a new headache throbbing at his temples. He should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.

\-----

Kym punctuated her victory by lighting off one of those infernal watermelon rockets.

In broad daylight.

The families out and about for their shopping thought this was very exciting.

Will did not.

\-----

“You have it easy, Lauren,” Will huffed. “Your afternoon shift is  _ inside.  _ Where the air conditioning is.”

“And where more people are,” Lauren pointed out. “I still think you’ve got the better gig, to be honest. Did I tell you about last week? There was this lost kid, and- it’s a bit of a long story, but in the end I had to fish someone’s phone out of the ground floor fountain.”

“You don’t even cover the ground floor,” Will said, momentarily distracted from glaring at the firework stand. “How even-”

“Exactly.” Lauren grimaced. “If a loud fireworks display is the worst of your problems, then I’d say you have it pretty good, Hawkes.”

“Not just the display,” he groaned, burying his face in his hands.  _ “Kym Ladell.” _

“Oh, so you know her name now, huh?” Lauren grinned at him. “What’s she like?”

“She’s a headache,” Will muttered into his hands.

“Hmm. I’m going to introduce myself,” Lauren said decisively, pushing off the wall she’d been leaning against.

“What- Lauren, no!” Will said, frantically, his eyes wide as he grabbed for her sleeve.

Lauren peered thoughtfully at him.

“Are you  _ scared  _ of the fireworks vendor?” She asked, looking like she was suppressing a grin.

_ “No,”  _ Will protested. “She’s just- a lot. Talks a lot. Loudly.”

“You’re biased against her at this point,” Lauren said, already striding away from him. “I’m sure she’s not that bad.” 

She disappeared, across the pavement and under the white tent. Will groaned, massaging his temples.

\-----

“Kym is great!” Lauren said to him several days later. “I invited her to come spend her lunch break with us tomorrow.”

Will got a despairing, haunted look in his eyes.

\-----

The next afternoon, the fireworks vendor did indeed appear for lunch. Will had wanted to go elsewhere. Lauren made him stay.

“For goodness’ sake, Will- did you even  _ try  _ asking her to tone it down?” She had asked.

“Couldn’t get a word in edgewise,” he‘d replied. Perhaps that was slightly unfair, but his headache didn’t have him in a sympathetic mood.

Lauren looked skeptical.

“Well, this will be a perfect opportunity for the two of you to make a truce,” she said, raising her eyebrows at him.  _ “Right?”  _

Will was mid-shrug when Kym herself showed up, carrying a whole watermelon, of all things, in her arms.

Will gaped.

Lauren grinned, just a little bit evilly, eyes flicking between the pair of them like she was preparing to watch a tennis match.

“Hello, new friends!” Kym declared, plopping down beside Lauren without further invitation.

“Hello, Kym!” Lauren said, now looking perfectly delighted. “Nice of you to join us-  _ right,  _ Will?” she gave Will a meaningful look.

“Sure,” he said, shrugging again.

“Ah- so the critic has a name!” Kym said, beaming across the table at him and producing an alarmingly large knife. For a split second Will thought she might attack him, before she sliced into the watermelon.

“Want some?” She asked, offering up a slice.

Will blinked.

It was almost comical, the dripping triangle of watermelon in one hand, and the knife in her other, buried inside the watermelon. He found himself cracking the slightest of smiles and wordlessly accepting the offered piece.

\-----

Kym’s presence on his and Lauren’s lunch break became a common occurrence.

Will found that, when she wasn’t contributing to his headaches, Kym was actually decent company. Though loud, she was smart and observant, and always full of entertaining commentary on the events she witnessed in the parking lot. She and Lauren would devolve into banter like they’d known each other for years, Kym cracking jokes and Lauren laughing, her ever-present worried expression disappearing ever so slightly. It was nice to see her so carefree.

  
Sometimes (only  _ sometimes)  _ Will found himself smiling, as well.

**Author's Note:**

> I LIVE.
> 
> Our boy really needs a nap and some asprin, doesn't he?
> 
> This was pretty fun and relaxing to write- and I do have at least one more chapter planned for this au because it's so so kywi. Perhaps even telling Lauki's side of events.
> 
> -but Knick, you ask- where is Kieran? He's going to make his grand entrance in said later chapter(s), I promise you.
> 
> Updates/new works from me have been a bit slow, yes, but rest assured that I've got a bunch of halfway-finished docs, a herd of plot bunnies, and a shiny new laptop with which to unleash them upon you all. More goodies are forthcoming.
> 
> <3


End file.
